新型核反应堆用氢化慢化材料关键性能概述

Overview of Key Properties of Yttrium Hydride Used as Moderator Material for Innovative Nuclear Reactors

由于各种功能灵活、安全高效的多用途反应堆技术的快速推进,以高温高压水为中子慢化材料的传统方案已不能满足新型反应堆对高温和结构紧凑的设计要求。金属氢化物,尤其是氢化锆和氢化,具有适用温度更高、体积更小、使堆芯布置更灵活等优点。同时金属氢化物与纯水和液态氢气相比具有同等甚至更高的氢原子浓度,其慢化性能更优越。因此,成为高温慢化材料的重点研发对象。本文概述了氢化钇的关键性能,同时与氢化锆进行了简要对比。相比氢化锆,氢化钇具有高温稳定性好、导热性高、热膨胀率不存在相变和适用的温度更高的优点,可满足高温的堆芯设计要求,在新型紧凑型反应堆技术中表现出较大的应用潜力。

The innovative nuclear reactors with the characteristics of flexible function,high safety and efficiency,multipurpose are developing fleetly.The conventional scheme,widely used high-temperature and high-pressure water as the neutron moderator material,can no longer meet the higher temperature and compacter requirements for new reactors.Compared with pure water and liquid hydrogen,metal hydrides,especially zirconium hydride and yttrium hydride,own the same or even higher hydrogen atom concentration,superior moderation performance,higher applicable temperature and smaller volume.So metal hydrides make the reactor core layout more flexible,and have become the key research and development objects of high-temperature moderator materials.In this paper,the key service properties of yttrium hydride are summarized,and compared with that of zirconium hydride briefly.Compared with zirconium hydride,ytrium hydride has the advantages of superior high-temperature stability,higher thermal conductivity,no mutation in thermal expansion process and higher applicable temperature.Yttrium hydride can meet the requirements of higher core design and shows great application potential in the compact reactor technology.